EVALUATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE, NUMBER 1.

GREEN, ROBERT L.

THE MAJOR PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION, ACCORDING TO THIS REVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE, IS TO DEVELOP THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH, WHICH SHOULD BE EVALUATED SCIENTIFICALLY. RIGOROUS STUDY IS NEEDED OF SUCH ISSUES AS (1) THE NATURE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE PROGRAM FOR THE DISADVANTAGED LEARNER, (2) THE ASSESSMENT OF THE BASIC COGNITIVE STRUCTURE OF DISADVANTAGED YOUTH, AND (3) THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF TEST SCORES. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CHILD'S PERSEVERANCE AT A TASK AND THE DEGREE OF INTEREST AND CHALLENGE IT PRESENTS SHOULD ALSO BE STUDIED. COMPENSATORY PROGRAMS, TOO, MUST BE CRITICALLY SCRUTINIZED. BECAUSE SOME EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THEY ARE NOT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT VARIABLES IN EDUCATIONAL CHANGE. ATTENTION MUST ALSO BE GIVEN TO SELECTION OF TEACHERS AND TEACHER CANDIDATES, AS THE TEACHERS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE A STUDENT'S ATTITUDES. IT IS FELT THAT THE CONFERENCE OVERLOOKED THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL INTEGRATION IN EDUCATING THE DISADVANTAGED. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR DESEGREGATION, AND SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION MUST INSTILL A COMMITMENT TO INTEGRATION IN THE SCHOOLS AND IN SOCIETY. THE SCHOOLS COULD ALSO ENHANCE THE SELF-IMAGE OF ALL MINORITY GROUPS BY TEACHING ABOUT THEIR HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. (NH)